Breakdown of Ich bin froh, dass du da bist.
ich
I
sein
to be
du
you (informal singular)
da
there
dass
that
froh
glad
Questions & Answers about Ich bin froh, dass du da bist.
Why does da mean "here" in this sentence instead of "there"?
While da is often taught early on as "there", it frequently means "here" or "present" in everyday spoken German. For example, Ist jemand da? means "Is anyone here?". If you specifically wanted to point out a location further away ("there"), you would usually use dort.
Why is bist at the very end of the sentence?
The word dass (that) is a subordinating conjunction. Whenever you use dass, it kicks the conjugated verb in its clause—in this case, bist—to the very end of the sentence.
Since we are learning about unfulfilled wishes, how would I change this to say "If only you were here!"?
You would drop the fact-based bin froh and use the Konjunktiv II form of the verb (wärst) along with a particle like nur or doch. You could say Wenn du nur da wärst! or, by moving the verb to the front, Wärst du doch da!.
Could I use glücklich instead of froh here?
You could, but froh is usually a much better fit for this situation. Froh translates to "glad" or "relieved" about a specific, temporary event. Glücklich generally means "happy" in a much deeper, emotional, or long-lasting sense.
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